All4Ed Will Conduct Nationwide Search to Find Next CEO
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) announced that Gov. Bob Wise plans to step down as chief executive officer (CEO) on January 31, 2019. All4Ed’s board of directors will conduct a nationwide search for the organization’s next CEO, assisted by the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller.
“On behalf of the All4Ed board of directors, we have tremendous respect, admiration, and gratitude for the outstanding contributions Bob has made to federal and state policies that have improved the high school experience for millions of students,” said Dan Leeds, chairman of the All4Ed board. “All4Ed’s next CEO will have very big shoes to fill, but we are confident that we can find an individual who can match Bob’s passion, vision, and drive. And when paired with a supportive board and the tremendously talented team that Bob has built, All4Ed’s new CEO will have every tool and resource necessary to further All4Ed’s mission to ensure that all students—particularly those underperforming and those historically underserved—graduate from high school with the skills necessary to succeed in college and a career.”
Wise joined All4Ed in February 2005, after twenty-four years serving as governor, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and state legislator for West Virginia. He built a small federal policy shop into an organization that routinely writes and consults on federal legislation and expanded All4Ed’s policy support to state governments and school districts. Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), All4Ed has been working with a variety of states to improve their ESSA plans. To assist district and school leaders in effectively using technology to personalize learning for students, Wise directed the expansion of Future Ready Schools®. Under Wise’s leadership, this network, launched by the U.S. Department of Education and now led by All4Ed, has grown to 3,200 school districts that educate nearly 40 percent of America’s students. Additionally, in 2018, Wise added a major new initiative connecting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ensure that the science of adolescent learning is an integral part of all education decisionmaking. Under his leadership, All4Ed has increased its number of funders and increased revenue by 300 percent and placed alumni and interns in key positions in government, policy organizations, and philanthropy.
“Although I am ending this chapter at All4Ed, I am not closing the book,” said Wise. “Thanks to the support of a tremendous staff and an engaged board, All4Ed has made many significant accomplishments during my fourteen-year tenure. During that time, I also have been privileged and honored to work with many devoted peers at the federal, state, and local levels in pursuit of an excellent education for all students. As I turn the page and enter the next chapter of my life—one that will be devoted to social service—I look forward to sharing the knowledge I have learned with others seeking to improve outcomes for all students.”
With support and guidance from the All4Ed staff and board, Wise’s many accomplishments at All4Ed include the following:
- Advocating for a common calculation for high school graduation rates and raising awareness about the importance of increasing high school graduation rates, which have grown from a national average of roughly 73 percent when Wise joined All4Ed to more than 84 percent today
- Working to ensure that the Every Student Succeeds Act includes appropriate accountability measures around low-performing high schools and high schools where historically underserved students underperform their peers
- Increasing the amount of federal funding allocated to high schools
- Expanding broadband access for 99 percent of students through the Federal Communications Commission’s increase in funding for the E-rate program
- Promoting the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) among policymakers and the public to better understand how U.S. students compare internationally and to learn lessons from high-performing nations
- Advocating for and supporting the adoption of college- and career-ready standards in all fifty states
- Advocating for and securing federal funding for a comprehensive literacy program that serves children from birth through grade 12
- Developing “The Graduation Effect,” a model to demonstrate the economic impact of increasing the high school graduation rate to 90 percent for the nation, all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and more than 140 metropolitan areas
- Creating Digital Learning Day to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes
- Building All4Ed’s in-house studio and pioneering the use of video advocacy, including webinars in education policy and practice to reach audiences beyond the beltway and throughout the United States
After stepping down as CEO of All4Ed, Wise plans to remain active in education. He will serve All4Ed as a nonresident senior fellow and will continue to serve on the board of the National Public Education Support Fund as well as on other boards.
Finally, in typical Bob Wise fashion, Gov. Wise recorded a short video to announce that he is stepping down, but also to thank the many individuals and organizations he’s worked with over the years in support of improved learning opportunities for all students. And he even found a way to use a potted plant as a prop. Watch the video below:
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The Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) is a Washington, DC–based national policy, practice, and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those underperforming and those historically underserved, graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship. all4ed.org
